Elections board hires attorney

Thursday

Aug 27, 2009 at 5:00 AM

By JEFF RUSS

T-G Staff Writer

The Ashland County Board of Elections hired a lawyer Wednesday in its battle to fight budget cuts sought by county commissioners.

At a four-hour meeting that included a 40-minute executive session, the board voted 3-1 to hire Richland County attorney Don Hoover at a rate of $250 an hour with the total cost not to exceed $5,000. Hoover has served on the Richland County Board of Elections.

Democratic board member Dave Samsel said the board is not taking legal action simply by hiring an attorney, and the board needs "someone with experience to tell us what our rights are."

The board is looking to retrieve $27,500 which it claims county commissioners cut from its budget. Commissioners, on the other hand, say they advanced that amount in early 2009 so the elections board could pay 2008 carryover expenses.

The elections board had voted July 29 to seek outside legal counsel to fight the budget cuts. In the two rounds of general fund appropriation reductions, the board of elections has been cut $45,418 this year.

Deputy director Kathy Howman estimated the board of elections would run out of money by Nov. 1.

Republican board member Bonnie Manos was the only member to vote against hiring Hoover. She has opposed every motion dealing with seeking outside legal counsel. Manos said Wednesday she has not talked to anyone in the community who is in favor of the board suing commissioners.

"I've had phone calls and contact from the public, and everyone I've talked to says we are doing the wrong thing," Manos said. "I've talked to attorneys, small business people, Democrats, Republicans, and they all said you are sinking a small ship. You might win the battle but you are not going to win the war, and you should consider not doing this."

Manos went on to say she does not want to see commissioners have to cut other departments' budgets if the board regains its funding.

Manos presented a second option to the board that included opening just one day a week in December and having just the director and deputy director in the office. Her proposal also included staff members canceling their health insurance and the board relinquishing its December pay. With her proposal, Manos said the board could have a $14,000 carryover into January.

Manos proposed having one part-time person work half a day to help the director and deputy director at the start of 2010.

But Republican member Dennis Ragle said the board of elections staff has sacrificed enough this year.

He said the board's 2009 budget is $100,000 less than what it was in 2005, and the board has repeatedly told commissioners they cannot function at current funding levels.

"Nobody finds joy in this," Ragle said. "I never wanted to say just take money from other offices. Our job is to function the way we are supposed to function and our only option is to seek funds exactly the way the (Ohio Revised Code) says we are supposed to."

Democratic member George Bringman said he does not think the board can get by telling people to work one half day. Manos replied by saying counties with similar voter registration numbers -- including Knox and Seneca -- each have three or four employees compared to the five employees at the Ashland board.

Bringman questioned Manos' opinion that the board does not need five staffers. The board then went into executive session for 40 minutes when Manos presented an outline that she said shows the board could operate with four employees.

When the board came out of executive session, it voted to hire Hoover.

n Jeff Russ can be reached at 419-281-0581 ext. 237 or jruss@times-gazette.com.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.